VA-Vol-30-No-2-Feb-2002

路 \' .'

VOL. 30, No. 2

STRAIGHT & LEVELlButch Joyce

2 VAA NEWS/H.G. Frautschy & MaryJones 4

MYSTERY PLANE/H.G. Frautschy

5 FROM THE ARCHIVES/H.G. Frautschy & Susan Lurvey 6 FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA/James & Diane Morton and Walter Thomas

10 TYPE CLUB NOTES/Scott Barland 13 MEMBERS PROJECTS 15 THE VOLUNTEER SEABEE/Budd Davisson 21 PASS IT TO BUCK/Buck Hilbert 25 NEW MEMBERS 26 CALENDAR 27 CLASSIFIED ADS 30 VAA MERCHANDISE

WWW.VINTAGEAIRCRAFT.ORG

Publisher

TOM POBEREZNY

Editor.in.Chief

scon SPANGLER

Executive Director, Editor

HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY

VAA Administrative Assistant THERESA BOOKS Executive Editor

MIKE DIFRISCO

Contributing Editors

JOHN UNDERWOOD BUDD DAVISSON

Graphic Designer

OLIVIA L. PHILLIP

Photograpl.y Staff

JIM KOEPNICK LEEANN ABRAMS

Advertising/Editorlal Assistallt ISABELLE WISKE

FEBRUARY 2002

S RAIGHT Be LEVEL

BY ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE PRESIDENT, VINTAGE ASSOCIATION

Celebration and a helping hand

Time certainly has a habit of sneaking up on you. As I write this, we have only 23 months to go until we cele­ brate 100 years of powered flight with EAA's flight of a reproduction of the 1903 Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This amazing airplane is taking shape in the shop of Ken Hyde and the Wright Experience.

At this year's EAA Sun 'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida, be sure to check out the Centennial of Flight tent display for a wide range of displays highlighting the cele­ bration of EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk. After Sun 'n Fun, all eyes will be focused on the 2002 edition of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, where we'll continue to honor the Wright brothers' achievements.

Time really does streak by. Here's a graphic exam­ ple-during this year's EAA AirVenture event, we'll take part in festivities that will commemorate the 50th an­ niversary of EAA's annual fly-in, which was first held in September 1953. Fifty years of EAA conventions? It hardly seems possible, but indeed, the 2002 gathering is the fiftieth such event, which took place during the first year of EAA's existence (EAA came into being on January 26, 1953).

We're quite pleased to announce that the VAA will be helping the EAA commemorate that first gathering with a special display in the grassy area just north of VAA's Red Barn, south of AeroShell Square (often referred to as "the West Ramp") . EAA is well along in its planning of a re­ creation of that first gathering, with many of the airplanes and displays that were present at that first event on hand during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2002. It really is amazing to see how far we've come as an organi­ zation. Now with more than 170,000 diverse people who embrace literally everything from single-place light­ planes to rocket-powered homebuilts, EAA and its family of like-minded enthusiasts such as the Warbirds of Amer­ ica, lAC, and your Vintage Aircraft Association compose the vast majority of what we now refer to as general avia­ tion. We are in need of any information, photos, 8 mm movies, or any other documents you may have on hand to help with this project. Call the EAA Aviation Center­ 920/426-4825-if you can aid us in helping EAA with this research.

I do hope you took a few minutes to read last month's guest editorial by EAA President Tom Poberezny. Tom said it well, and we encourage all VAA members to re­ sponSibly exercise the privileges of their certificate. What

better way to show the world that we are all responsible, capa­ ble individuals who enjoy the freedom of the skies in the same way a sailor revels in taking to the nation's waterways or an automobile or motorcycle en­ thusiast takes to the highways. Plan on attending EAA AirVenture and showing the world that no matter where we fly from, the events of last September will not cause us to cower and retreat. See you at the fly-in!

As we are often reminded, for good or bad we are still a pretty small group of people. It's not so good when you're trying to be heard above the crowd of other voices calling for restrictions. A nice part of being a small group is that we often know and take care of one another. Un­ fortunately, sometimes things don't go as planned, and it really can put a sour taste in someone's mouth if he feels the community didn't treat him well.

We've all heard stories about parts being sent out for repair and then not being returned to their owners.

When and if the part finally does get back to the owner, it turns out to not be the same one sent in. That's very disappointing, and it belays the trust placed in the recipi­ ent by the part's owner.

This type of situation recently happened to me, and I am disappointed and not happy that this has come to pass. For the time being, I'll continue to believe that the situation will reach a satisfactory conclusion. I was dis­ cussing this matter with a fellow antique owner, who felt that this type of occurrence should not happen in avia­ tion. We in the old airplane group must have trust in one another, and once something is lent, it shou ld be re­ turned in as good or better condition. For instance, if you were rebuilding a Piper J-2, but you had no side window frames, you may find someone who had a frame that you could use as a pattern. They'd trust that you would re­ turn the frame after you were finished . I know some people who are so helpful that they might even make an extra set and give the new and old frames back to the lender. To keep our airplanes flying we all need to help one another. My disheartening experience will not stop me from reaching out to be of help in the future.

Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all. .....

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

VAA NEWS COMPILED BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY & MARY JONES

Sport Pilot NPRM Release Imminent As this issue goes to press the sport pilot/light-sport aircraft notice of proposed rulemaking is about to be published in the Federal Register.

There are plenty of opportunities for vintage aircraft enthusiasts to enjoy the privileges afforded by these pro­ posed regulations, so we encourage you to read and comment on the NPRM. Check EAA's websites at www.eaa.org and www.sportpilot.org for the latest on this issue.

Commenting on the Sport Pilot NPRM After the NPRM is published, a 90-day public comment period will follow. During that time, any­ one can officially register support, concerns, or questions about the proposed new rule. EAA expects significant public input because the sport pilot rule will establish not only a new pilot certificate and a new aircraft category but also new aircraft maintenance reg­ ulations.

There will be several ways to submit comments to the sport pi­ lot docket: 1. You may submit a letter in triplicate to the docket office via FRONT & BACK COVERS: The vol­

unteers at Wally Fisk's Polar Aviation Museum rebuilt this Re­ public Seabee from a pile of parts.

The manual helped, but persist­ ence and helpful fellow owners really made the restoration possi­ ble. On the back cover, pilot Larry Mullaly skims along the sunlit surface of Wisconsin's Lake Win­ nebago. EAA photos by Jim Koepnick, shot with a Canon EOSIn equipped with an 80-200 mm lens on 100 ASA Fuji slide film. EAA Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

2

FEB RUARY

2002

the mail. Be sure to use the specific docket number, which will be an­ nounced with the NPRM. 2. You may submit comments electronically: a) Via e-mail. That process will be explained in detail when the NPRM is released. b) Via fax. Again, the proper fax number will be supplied with the NPRM. 3. EAA will provide a direct link through both the www.eaa.org and www.sportpilot.org websites to make general comments to the NPRM and to ask the FAA to add specific aircraft to the NPRM. Commenting on the NPRM will be very important. However, what's even more important is what you say and how you say it. EAA offers this guidance: 1. NOTE THAT ALL COMMENTS ARE OPEN TO PUBLIC REVIEW. (For example, that includes all me­ dia, members of medical and environmental groups, and other governmental agencies.)

2. Comments should be written reasonably and rationally. Emo­ tional or unsupported statements will be disregarded.

3. Identify and be specific about which part of the rule you are com­ menting on .

4. Be factual and, if possible, of­ fer suggested changes to the regulatory language. s. Keep your comments brief and to the point.

6. Compose your own letter.

Form letters are not effective. This is not a numbers game; what's im­ portant is what you say and how you say it. The FAA is interested in unique and useful comments.

7. In particular, EAA is concerned that inappropriate comments rela­ tive to the medical issue could be harmful. We suggest that comments made to this issue speak to the fact that this rule change will reduce the

cost of obtaining a medical for many people. The requirement to hold a valid U.S. driver's license does es­ tablish a medical requirement.

Therefore, at no time should any­ one make a reference to "no medical being required."

8. There is no limit to the num­ ber of comments you can submit.

Separate comments may be sub­ mitted for different subjects.

9. Your name, address, and phone number or e-mail address is required in case the FAA needs to contact you to help them under­ stand your point of view.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES WANTED As a group, we ' re a pretty re­ sourceful bunch, and one of the stated missions of the Vintage Aircraft Association is to share educational opportunities among the membership. We're always on the lookout for good technical articles. This year , we've re­ ceived a number of requests for solid information on radio and transponder information in light airplanes. If you've done a well­ executed, approved installation of light avionics, we'd appreciate hearing about it. While we are not aware of any specific new regulations requiring transpon­ der use, more people are willing to invest in a light unit if it will allow them to enter airspace that currently excludes them.

Call us at 920-426-4825 or e­ mail vintage@eaa.org to help us help your fellOW members.

WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING We're always interested in seeing what our members are flying and restoring. If you'd like to share your project with your fellow members, send us a small selection of photos (two to four pictures) and a short de­ scription. Use the address at the end of this page.

NEW BOOKS OF INTEREST VAA member and historian Chet Peek has filled in one of the blank spots in the history of light aircraft in the United States with the publi­ cation of his latest book, Flying With

40 Horses, A History of the Continental

A-40 Aircraft Engine and the Planes It Flew. Chet takes us on a journey though the history of light aircraft engines, setting the stage for the well-timed introduction of the Con­ tinental A-40 in February 1931.

Breaking down the $1,000 engine cost barrier for an aircraft engine was just what the struggling light aircraft industry needed. The Aeronca E-l13 of 36 hp was close, but the next generation A-40 was just what the engineer ordered.

The A-40 weighed 147 pounds and displaced 115 cubic inches, and when first produced, it generated 38 horsepower, later upgraded to 40 hp when a new forged crank­ shaft replaced the earlier version.

Chet then details many of the lightplanes that benefited from the

WANT TO SEND US A PHOTOGRAPH? If you're thinking about sending a photograph to Vintage Airplane, we'd ap­ preciate it if you'd follow these pointers.

All photographs must be sharp, with the main subject in clear focus. If it's not in focus in the photographic print or slide, no amount of production magic on our part can make it usable for magazine reproduction.

The same holds true for the exposure of the print. If it's over- or underex­ posed, we can't fix it. If it has problems like this, we simply can't publish it.

Here's our list of acceptable photograph formats, in order of preference: A. 35 mm slides on 100 ASA or lower film B. 4-by-6-inch or larger prints from 35 mm or larger negatives C. Digital photographs- The digital file directly from the camera should support a file that is 300 dpi at a photo size of 4-by-6 inches. That does not mean that a low-resolution file can Simply be re-sized to the larger size-the file must be a high-resolution image for us to use it in a magazine. Since prints from digital printers vary so widely in quality, we prefer not to use them for publication, unless they are printed with at least 300 dpi resolution on a high quality photo inkjet or dye sublimation printer, using photo paper appro­ priate for the printer. Prints made on regular inkjet paper are not suitable for reproduction .

To help you take a great picture of your airplane, here are some tips to make it look its best: 1. Shoot your photos early in the morning or later in the day. Our favorite times are during the "golden hour" after sunrise or before sunset. Avoid mid­ day, as the harsh shadows of noontime sun can obscure details. Keep the sunlight on the nose and side of the airplane. Facing the sun at about a 45­ degree angle seems to work well.

2. Clean the airplane. Even a coating of dust can make it look drab.

3. Put away any accessories such as fueling steps or ladders . Keep the background clean. When you're shooting the airplane, avoid including other objects or people. Be mindful of background landscape items such as airport antennae or control towers-in a photo, they can appear to grow from your air­ plane. The same holds true for people standing behind the airplane-your fuselage may sprout feet!

4. Keep the horizon level in the viewfinder.

5. Use a separate shot if you want to highlight people. If a person is next to the airplane, please don 't show them leaning on the prop.

6. Don't have the engine running and no one in the cockpit!

7. Take a number of photos, and send us a selection of in-focus, properly exposed slides or prints. Send them to:

EAA Vintage Airplane P.O. Box 3086

Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

E-mail : vintage@eaa.org

introduction of the A-40, and its later version, the A-SO. The success of the A-40 would lead Continen­ tal to produce the A-6S and its later versions, which powered most light airplanes until the 1980s, when production of the 0-

200 was ended. Flying With 40 Horses as well as Chefs other books including The Spartan Story, Resur­ rection of a Jenny, The Taylorcraft, and The First Cub are available from EAA Membership Ser vices . The continued on page 28 VINTAGE AIRPLA NE

3

1926 ARROW FIVE

MYSTERY

PLANE

BY

H.G .

FRAUTSCHY

Wayne Muxlow, Minneapolis, Minnesota, sent us the one and only response to the November Mystery Plane: The November Mystery Plane is the 1926 Arrow Five.

Built by Arrow Aircraft & Motor Corp., Havelock, Ne­ braska.

To clear up the March Mystery Plane, it is not the Ben Jones Special, but the Briggs Special, also known as the Briggs-Marion . It set a lightplane altitude record of 21,750 feet in 1936.

Pete Bowers submitted November's photo, and he sent along this write-up with the photo:

This month's Mystery Plane is a bare-bones shot

from the collection of Dr. Stanley Mohler of Wright

State University.

SEND YOUR ANSWER TO:

EAA, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O.

Box 3086 , OSHKOSH , WI 54903-3086 . YOUR ANSWER NEEDS TO BE IN NO LATER THAN MARCH 10 FOR INCLUSION IN THE MAY 2002 ISSUE OF VINTAGE AIRPLANE. You CAN ALSO SEND YOUR RESPONSE VIA E-MAIL. SEND YOUR ANSWER TO vintage@eaa.org .

BE SURE TO INCLUDE BOTH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS (ES­ PECIALLY YOUR CITY AND STATE!) IN THE BODY OF YOUR NOTE AND PUT "( MONTH) MYSTERY PLANE" IN THE SUBJECT LINE.

BRIGGS MARION SPECIAL

4

FEBRUARY 2002

As identified in this photo taken October 13, 1926, this one is called the Arrow Five.

It looks like a 1924 Lincoln-Standard LS-5 fuselage with new tail surfaces and an entirely new one-bay wing with a single I-strut on each side. Th ere's a 180-hp Hisso engine, and a fou r-seat front cockpit with the two for­ ward seats facing aft. As on the LS-5, the front seats had side windows.

Arrow, later noted for the little sport biplane and the Ford V-8 powered ship, seems to have started in 1926 with some person nel from Lincoln-Standard.

The address on the back of the print says Havlock, Nebraska. Modern atlases and a search on the Internet show it to be Havelock, located on the north side of Lin­ coln. The later Arrow firm, supposedly founded in 1928, was at Lincoln, where Lincoln-Standard, later Lincoln­ .......

Page, was located.

The March Mystery Plane has now been positively identified as the Briggs Marion Special. Designed and built by Harold Briggs, an automobi le mechanic of Portland, Oregon, the Marion Special was powered by a 95-hp Cirrus. Briggs and the Special were lost on April 28, 1938, when the right wing parted from the aircraft during the climb-out after a dive. Harold Briggs had been involved in building four air­ planes. The photo was taken at Swan Island, Portland, Oregon. EAA has a copy of this photo in the Ralph Nortell collection, and it has been attributed to Lloyd Phillips.

FROM THE A CHIVES

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY AND SUSAN LURVEY

FROM THE EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION LIBRARY ARCHIVES

Racers

Frank P. Cavenagh of Hudson, Ohio, snapped these images on 3­ 1/2 by 4·1/2 inch Eastman nitrate stock during the National Air Races of the 1930s. We have Richard Downes (he was Frank's half·brother) to thank for saving and donating the images to the EAA Aviation Foundation.

1932, Cleveland, Ohio. Jimmy Doolittle taxis in with the Gee Bee R-1's 800-hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp Senior barking and snapping under the tight cowling.

The Gee Bee R-2, Race No.7, at rest in a hangar at Cleveland in 1932 (possibly the Skyways hangar?).

Lee Gehlbach flew the R-2 in the Bendix Trophy race.

Up against three Wedell-Williams racers, the Gee Bee was considered a favorite to win . An oil leak forced Gehlbach to land at Chanute Field in Rantoul , Illinois , to refill the oil supply for the 550-hp Wasp installed for long-distance racing. Unable to repair the leak, Gehlbach removed the canopy so he could at least peer around the windshield's opaque, oil-coated sur­ faces. He landed 1 hour, 21 minutes, 54 seconds after the race winner, Jimmy Wedell, did in his No. 92 racer. Gehlbach trailed the third place winner by nearly half an hour. The exceptional metalworking done by Hill Aircraft Streamliners of Cincinnati, Ohio, is clearly evident in this view of the firewall cowling and landing gear fairings (then called "boots ") .

The Laird LC-DW-300 Solution racer at Cleveland in 1931.

First built in Laird 's south-side Chicago factory in 1930, the Solution was comp leted on the same day as the National Air Races' Thompson Trophy contest, which was taking place on the north side of Chicago at Curtiss-Reynolds airport.

Pilot Charles "Speed" Holman flew the speedster to first place in the prestigious race, winning with a speed of 201.9 mph. After the 1930 race, Laird and his factory crew re­ worked th e airplane, replacing the hastily built landing gear with a better design and revising the aft fuselage lines. The top of the cockpit headrest aft to the rudder became a straight line , giving the airplane a more streamlined appear­ ance. Still retaining the trademark gold wings of a Laird , the fuselage was painted white. Of interest in the photo is the ground-twndling strap draped around the aft fuselage.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

5

n early 1998 Walt Thomas men­ tioned to Jim and Diane Morton his intent to fly his Cessna 140 from Maryland to Chino, California, for the International Cessna 120/140 Association Convention. The Mor­ tons and Walt agreed to make the trip together. For Jim and Diane, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to fly their Cessna 140, NC89676, across the country. Walt previously had flown N2026V to California in 1989.

I

ACloudy Start On September 18 Jim called at 1400 Zulu to say that despite the overcast, the weather was flyable. We agreed to meet at Potomac Airfield (VKX), west of Andrews Air Force Base. After everyone arrived near midday, we refueled both planes, and then Jim rechecked the weather.

Our originally planned route was south-southeast to First Flight Air­ port (FFA-Kitty Hawk) and then west across North Carolina and Ten­ nessee. A warm front stretched from Missouri to Salisbury, Maryland, and everything south had low ceilings and poor visibility. That dampened the start of our great adventure. The weather was better to the north. We revised our plan and departed VKX under a l,400-foot overcast. Ten miles north of Washington, D.C., the cloud deck became broken, and

by Frederick (FDK) the sky was clear.

We landed at FDK, ate lunch, refu­ eled, and departed at 1935 Zulu. At 4,500 feet MSL we had clear skies 6

FEBRUARY

2002

Jim Morton and NC89676 pause before departing Cape May, New Jersey.

Jim's wife , Diane, served as navigator, accommodations manager, and pho­

tographer.

and an hour later picked up a west­ bound tail wind! '26V was doing S-turns behind '676, since Jim and Diane were breaking in a just-re­ placed cylinder. The next stop was Parr Airport (42I) just north of Zanesville, Ohio. Walt has been stopping there since 1980-it's a nice airstrip, and the airport owners (the Norman family) are very hos­ pitable. They provided a courtesy car for our overnight stay.

The next morning we headed west through the haze at 1,000 feet AGL, passing Columbus and Dayton en route to Lebanon, Indiana, for refuel­ ing. We lunched under clear skies in Casey, Illinois, where Richard's Farm restaurant offers a free pick-up from and return to the airport. The food

was excellent. We refueled at Tay­ lorsville, Illinois, and then flew west-southwest, crossing the Missis­ sippi River north of Saint Louis. For our next overnight stop, we landed at Elton Hensley Memorial Airport in central Missouri. Harman Dickerson, a renowned antique aircraft restorer and a good friend of Walt's late fa­ ther, befriended us. Harman offered to take us to a local motel and joined us later for dinner. Our transportation was unique-an original, un-restored 1956 Cadillac DeVille in pristine con­ dition. We had our picture taken in front of his relic of Americana.

Sunday morning Harman picked us up for breakfast. At the airport we did our preflight and departed south­ west. Harman joined up and flew

Waiting for t he rain to stop and the ceiling to lift. Walt rises up on his tip­ toes to confirm that the airplane he sees taxiing in is another Cessna 140, also en route to the 120/ 140 Convention.

with us for several miles in his classic Piper. The two Cessnas flew past Jef­ ferson City, over the Ozarks , and landed at Neosho (EOS) for refueling and lunch . We took off, headed southwest into Oklahoma, passing to the north of Tulsa, following the Cimarron River. At our stop at Guthrie (GOK), warm temperatures in the high 80s were accompanied by high winds. Jim was concerned about the hotter temperatures affecting his plane's performance, so he took on only enough fuel to fill three-fourths of his tanks and put some of his bag­ gage in Walter's Cessna.

Westward Ho! Leaving Guthrie we headed west­ southwest, climbed to 8,500 feet

MSL and "picked up" Interstate 40 near Clinton, Oklahoma. Another 60 miles under our wings and we were over the Texas Panhandle, where the visibility was unre­ stricted. The vast expanse was breathtaking-we saw quilt-pat­ terned farmlands 100 miles away.

The Earth's horizon was a slightly curved line below a clear blue sky.

Breathtaking! In another 40 minutes we entered Amarillo International Airport (AMA) airspace, received vectors and landing clearance from AMA Approach, and touched down just before 1900 local. After fueling and securing our planes, the folks from the FBO, TAC Air, drove us to the Hilton Inn. Jim still was con­ cerned about weight affecting his

Cessna's high-density-altitude per­ formance, so extra clothing and other items were packed and shipped back to New Jersey. After­ ward, we celebrated Jim's birthday with dinner at the hotel's pub and retired early.

We departed AMA on the fourth day at 0815 local. Our 140s climbed quickly in the cool, smooth air to 6,500 feet MSL. Flying west along 1­ 40, the terrain underneath began rising, so we climbed to 8,500 feet.

Santa Rosa , New Mexico, was our next stop; we landed into a stiff 20­ knot breeze directly down Runway 26. Leaving Q58, we climbed again to 8,500 feet and could see the San­ dia Mountains 90 miles away. Thirty miles east of Albuquerque, civiliza­ tion reappeared. The lead aircraft contacted ABQ Approach , and our flight was given vectors to the Albu­ querque International Sunport Airport. Once we passed the moun­ tains, we were given a lower altitude and landed on Runway 3. We taxied to Signature Flight Service where we were fueled and tied down . Signa­ ture provided transportation to and from lunch.

The High Country After lunch an FSS briefing showed good weather westward. Walt re­ called the afternoon mountain turbulence during his previous trip west and suggested we call it a day.

Jim and Diane voted to press on. The two 140s departed Runway 21 and VINTAGE AIRPLANE

7

Noted aircraft restorer Harman Dickerson and his Piper PA-11. Harman took us under his wing and transported us back in time by offering us a ride in his unrestored, remarkably original 1956 Cadillac DeVille.

headed west. '26V climbed out well, but '676 was dragging its feet from t h e 5,500-foot elevation. '676 was carrying two fo lks and more weight than '26V, even minus fuel and the stuff shipped east. After 30 miles '676 reached 8,500 feet-p lus or minus. It was difficult to hold an altitude, so we both chose to soar and sink in the thermals: 120 mph nose-down in up-

a

FEBRUARY 2002

drafts and 80 mph nose-up in down­ drafts. We flew past Transcontinental Number 6 (Grant-Millan) and Transcontinenta l Number 5. These airstrips are the last ones remaining from those built in the 1920s as fuel stops for trans-southwestern air serv­ ice. Just east of Transcon No . 5 we passed the Continental Divide. Be­ cause t h erma ls and associated

turbulence were becoming worse, we landed at Gallup. The winds were 20 knots at 30 to 45 degrees to the run­ way, so we bo t h carried higher approach speeds and made wheel landings. This was the first airport we noticed really heavy chains being used as tiedowns. The strong winds made their existence obvious.

Our fifth day began with a trip to the airport before sunrise. Pullover sweaters and other layers were needed for the 39°F temperature, but takeoff performance would be great! We lifted off just after sunup, departing east (downhill and up­ wind), and turned west to follow the highway. At 8,500 feet MSL we had a 10- to 12-knot tail wind and unrestricted visibility. The smooth morning air was enjoyab le, espe­ cially after yest erday's turbulence.

We passed the Petrified Forest and then headed over the desert, past Holbrook and Winslow, Arizona.

The famous meteor crater west of Winslow looked small from 8,500 feet. Vegetation reappeared 20 miles from Flagstaff, where we also saw light rain showers. Walt contacted the tower 14 miles out and our '140 flight was cleared to land straight in on Runway 21. As we landed light showers became a steady rain, so we parked and tied down on the ramp and waited in the FBO. It was so cold (low 40s) Walt wondered if we'd soon have snow showers. We had encountered "up-slope show­ ers." A strong low off the Baja

Peninsula was pumping moisture across the desert and up the moun­ tains. As the warm, moist air rose up the mountain slopes, it cooled and condensed, causing the over­ cast and precipitation.

Two hours later FSS said condi­ tions were improving. We departed Runway 03 and followed 1-40 at 500 feet AGL. Twelve miles west, low clouds hung entirely across a ridge, obscuring it and the terrain on the other side. We could see clearly northward but not west where we were headed. We turned around and returned to FLG. There we joined three gentlemen for lunch. They were also waiting out the weather en route to the ' 140 Convention. After another hour's wait, we tried again.

This time we flew around the west ridge, and within 20 miles skies be­ came scattered and then clear.

Our "concrete compass" guided us past Williams and Seligman to a landing on Kingman airport's Run­ way 21, which pOinted into a direct 20-knot wind. We refueled and then decided to stop for the day. Our ac­ commodations at the Quality Inn were most interesting-Route 66 memorabilia everywhere and a late '50s decor coffee shop. Many nota­ bles had stayed there-Jimmy Dean, Robert Duvall, George H. Bush, and others-attested to by numerous plaques on room doors. We washed our clothes, dined at a local steak­ house (steaks out here are really BIG!), and retired early.

This interesting array of mirrors with a cent ral tower is a solar power gener­ ating station located just west of Barstow-Daggett airfield in California.

The Desert

=Desolation

Day six started with a sunrise de­ parture. We headed southwest along the highway, flew past the Ford Mo­ tor Company Proving Grounds, then west to Needles, California. At Needles we followed the road north­ west and then turned to the west once we cleared a mountain. Then it was 150 miles of nothing but high­ way to Barstow-Daggett. Since Albuquerque we had flown over rugged terrain-beautiful, but very desolate and unfriendly for an off­ airport landing. Thus, we preferred following the highway-it has peo­ ple near it, and it's the lowest terrain.

Our preflight planning had shown a restricted area south of 1­ 40. We, of course, flew north of the highway. Motoring on, Jim sud­ denly saw bright flashes, followed

by white plumes falling to the ground. Whoa! These were muni­ tions exploding over the desert. We never determined where they origi­ nated, but it definitely got our attention. Uh-huh! That's why it's a restricted area!

We refueled at Daggett and then departed west at 4,500 feet, past Ed­ wards Air Force Base and Lancaster.

Climbing to 7,500 feet we cleared the Tehachapi Pass. Descending west of the pass, visibility was only 5 to 7 miles. That was much less than the 50 to 100 miles we'd experienced the past three days. At Bakersfield we landed, refueled, ate lunch, and then departed to the west-northwest at 1300 local. Over the Imperial Val­ ley visibility was 10 to 20 miles with a few scattered clouds above our continued on page 24 VINTAGE AIR PLANE

9

PE CLUB NOTES

TOWARD SAFER REFU ELING

As published in the 170 News SCOTT BARLAND

M

any of us who utilize the autogas STC refuel our Cessna 170s with those 2.5- and 5-gallon plastic jugs that are so easy to use and that pass the test of being an "appropriate and properly labeled container" when we stop by our favorite gas station on the way to the airport. While these jugs are obviously intended for transporting gasoline, they have several characteristics that cause concern about fire safety.

The one that causes the most concern is that the molded poly­ ethylene plastic is an insulator, preventing any buildup in static electrical charge from escaping rapidly through the container to the ground. Remember the science experiment where you pull a plas­ tic comb through your hair on a dry day and generate a spark of static electricity? Similar stuff here.

You probably have read recently in the general press that you should put gasoline cans or jugs on the ground when you are filling them, rather than filling them on the tail­ gate of your pickup or, heaven forbid, in the trunk of the family car. The primary concern here is one of static electricity buildup due to the gasoline flowing into an in­ sulated vessel that is further insulated by being held off the ground by the vehicle tires, which are also insulators. However, even 10

FEBRUARY 2002

setting the plastic jugs on the ground doesn 't complete ly bleed off the static charge unless they re­ main there for a while, because the insulating characteristics of the plastic jug slows the static charge's dissipation to a slow trickle.

The real concern comes when we take that jug up the ladder, open the fuel cap, and start pour­ ing the go-juice in. If the plane has acquired a slight static charge from such things as the wind blowing over it, there may be enough elec­ trical potential (difference in static charge) between it and the fuel in the jug to cause a spark.

This was brought home to me in a rather dramatic fashion when a good friend and fellow Cessna 170 Association member called to relate what he thought might have been a close approach to disaster. He h ad filled his plastic gas jugs at the sta­ tion, driven to the airport, removed the full jugs from his truck, and set them on the floor of his hangar. He then walked under the wing to re­ trieve his ladder, and as he passed the trailing edge of the aileron, he felt a fairly strong spark jump from the plane to the top of his head. It was one of those cool and dry early spring days, and his airp lane was not grounded . If that spark had happened when he removed the fuel cap or when he started pouring from one of the jugs, he could have

become the centerpiece in a fire de­ partment training film.

I started thinking about "static proofing" this process, and the ob­ vious first step is to be sure that your plane is adequately grounded .

This is critical during the refueling operation, and there's no good rea­ son why it shouldn't be grounded all the time . If your hangar is grounded electrically through your electrical service, attach one end of the wire to the hangar steel and the other end, through an alligator clip, to any bare metal part of the air­ frame. If your airplane is tied down on grass/dirt, anyone of your metal tie-down rods is a good ground .

Tied down on pavement? Your tie­ down rings in the pavement should do nicely. I used a piece of stranded 14 gauge copper house wire for this airframe ground cable, one end firmly attached to my hangar fram­ ing and the other clipped to my tailwheel steering, as shown below:

[Vintage Airplane Editor's Note: Be certain the airframe component you attach your grounding strap to is indeed electrically bonded to the rest of the airframe, all the way to the fuel tank-you'd be surprised how may light airplanes have electrically isolated components. A simple check with the continuity test function on a multimeter can be used to confirm your ground location.]

So what do we do about those pesky plastic jugs? If we electri­ cally connect the gasoline to the now-grounded airplane (before opening the fuel tank caps or the plastic jugs), then no static charge can exist. And no spark can jump up and bite us. Here's how I modi­ fied my plastic jugs to allow me to do that. (See the drawing below.)

Cut the head off a 10-32 x 1.5­ inch machine screw and drill a No. 48 hole down the center of the screw about 1/4-inch deep.

Cut a piece of 14 gauge solid cop­ per house wire long enough to reach from the handle of the plas­ tic jug to the bottom (inside), strip the insulation from its full length, and solder one end of the wire into the drilled screw .

Thread on a common hex nut, a flat washer, and a rubber washer cut from an old inner tube . Drill a 3/16-inch hole in the jug han­ dle just behind the filler opening.

[Vintage Airplane Editor's Note: If you're using an electric drill, be cer­ tain no gasoline fumes are present-you'd feel pretty foolish if you blew up the gas jug and yourself

10-24 X 11/2 /MACHINESCREW~

HEXNUT~

./

FLAT METAL WASHER ~ RUBBER WASHER~==:!!~':-iiiiii~_ _.,.

#48 HOLE 1/4" DEEP

~

FUEL JUG CUTAWAY

t;

#14 BARE COPPER WIRE SOLDER INTO SCREW

while installing a grounding strap!]

To install the ground wire you just made, ho ld the wire/screw assembly with a long-nose pliers or a hemostat, insert the assem­ bly, wire-end first, through the filler opening and up through the 3/16-inch hole. Spread a little gasoline-resistant sealant around the base of the protruding threads (I used some neoprene cement left over from a wet-suit repair kit), and then add another rubber washer, flat washer, and hex nut.

You should now have about 1 inch of screw thread exposed to act as your ground lug. The bare copper wire should be pushed, pulled, or bent as necessary to reach near the bottom of the con­ tainer without blocking the filler neck. Snug the top hex nut down, and let the sealant/cement cure before exposing it to gasoline . I modified all five of my containers in less than two hours, so it is not a big job. The photo on the fol ­ lowing page shows one of my own "anti-static" fuel containers, at­ tached to its connecting wire alligator clip (that's next).

We have to be able to connect the fuel jug's ground lug to the airframe, so make a connecting cable: I used another piece of that 14 gauge stranded house wire, about 10 feet long, and attached medium-size alligator clips to each end . You'll see how it is used in just a moment.

To put this "system" to work, put the jug down next to the gas pump and touch the nozzle to the ground lug before opening the filler; the gas pump nozzle is itself grounded. (Touch or "ground" ALL jugs you intend to fill before starting to fill ANY of them .) Fill and cap the jugs (pay the cashier, of course!), and take them to the airport, placing them on the pave­ ment in front of the plane. Check that the plane is connected to its ground, and attach one end of that lO-foot connecting cable to a bare metal part of the airframe VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

(an exhaust stack is convenient and works well).

After touching the free end of this wire to each jug's ground lug, clip it to one, carry the jug up the ladder, and start the refu­ eling. It is most important that this connecting wire be attached

both to the plane and the fuel jug before taking the jug up near the fuel cap, and it must remain attached throughout to make sure that any static electricity is bled off harmlessly before it builds up enough to cause a spark. Bring the empty fuel jug

down off the ladder, attach the clip to the next one, and con­ tinue.

Remember also that gasoline fumes are heavier than air, sink­ ing to the floor and following any sloping surfaces downward.

Any open flame, pilot light, or source of electrical spark below, downwind, or down-slope from a fuel overflow or spill can com­ pletely wipe out all your good work in eliminating the static electricity hazard. It has been said that fire is a wonderful ser­ vant but a horrible master. You don't need to let a gasoline-fed fire prove it to you.

This doesn't eliminate all fire hazards; it just helps minimize ones we can do something about without too big an effort. If noth­ ing else, your insurance carrier should breathe a little easier, and you can tell that smart mouth across the ramp to put away the marshmallows. ......

Grounding Wire Alternative Vintage Airplane Editor's Note: I've used a similar set ofgrounding wires for a number of years, built using 1/16-inch stranded stainless steel cable bought by the foot at the local hardware store. The store even had a vinyl-covered version, but I was too cheap to buy it. I added clips from the local electrical supply house, and my grounding cables looked just like the ones on the fuel trucks . If you really hate those "finger sticks" that occur when your tender digit is impaled on a stray strand of cable, slip a piece of heat-shrink tubing over the cable before in­ stalling the clip. After securing the clip, slide the tubing over the cut end of the cable and then shrink it with heat. It's much neater than a wrap of electri­ cal tape, which always seems to look messy and unwrap just before your fingers get close to those bloodthirsty cable ends .

Because they are woven cables, they coil nicely and can be stored in a heavy zippered plastic bag that is kept in the baggage compartment. Then the next time the fueler at the FBO says their grounding strap is broke, you can save the day, at least for your airplane.

12

FEBRUARY 2002

WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

DH.82A TIGER MOTH Nick and Elsa Steo of Mendon, New York, are the proud owners and restorers of this 1944 de Havilland Tiger Moth.

Built at Hatfield, Herts R-S063 served the RAF and then the Belgian air force as a primary trainer. Next it belonged to the Brasschaat Aero Club in Belgium, where it was used for banner and glider towing, as well as general sightseeing flights. After it had accumulated more than 4,000 hours of flight time in its logs, Gert Frank bought it and had it and a number of other Moths shipped to the United States. In 1971, Nick Steo Sr. bought the project and slowly began its restoration, but he passed away before its completion. His son, Nick Jr., and his son's wife, Elsa, then picked up the project and restarted the process using professional restorers. Fifteen years after it began, the project was completed, thanks to the efforts of George Denys. Its maiden flight in U.S. airspace took place on August 24, 2001.

N3424E started its flying career as a 7AC, but the recent restoration of the 1947 model included an 8S-hp Conti足 nental engine and an understated custom color scheme.

Last flown at Hyde Field in Clinton, Maryland, in 1969, A. Lee Dowdy's son, John, made the first post-restoration flight from Elk Rock Flying Field, Monroe County, West Virginia, on November 4, 2001. A. Lee wishes to thank his wife, Adonna, and their sons, Perry, Lee, and John, plus all his friends who helped in some way to get the Champ back in the air after a 32-year hiatus.

PRE-WAR ERCOUPE 415C Grant Ross of Carson City, Nevada, bought his 1941 Ercoupe, serial number 102 of 112 Ercoupes built prior to World War II, as a basket case. It had not flown in more than 30 years. Grant worked 8,000 hours spread over nine years to restore the air足 plane and make it the most authentic Ercoupe possible . It's based in Minden, Nevada.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

DH.82A TIGER MOTH

William "Bill" King, a name well known to those who have had the pleasure of visiting Cole Palen's Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, decided to restore his Tiger Moth, which he had been flying at the aerodrome for 15 years.

Bill pointed out that the Tiger Moth has plenty of small parts, so the restoration progressed slowly, but in spring 2001 the airplane was restored and ready for the air show season. Bill credits John Cullere and John Tremper for helping him not miss a third season with his Tiger Moth. Bill's son, Andrew King, sent us the second photo showing Bill's brother, David, flying the Moth, Andrew in his Ryan M-l mailplane, and Bill flying the recently completed Rhinebeck Aerodrome Curtiss Jenny. That's quite a formation shot! Tom Polopink, the Aerodrome's museum direc足 tor, took the photo.

PIPER PA-24 COMANCHE

You'd never know it seeing it today, but this nice 1962 Piper PA-24-180 Comanche was one of the many mechani足 cal victims of the great Mississippi River flood during the spring of 1993. Robert Kendig, Live Oak, Florida, spent eight years, two months, and 24 days restoring the low-wing Piper. Everything had to be replaced, from the paint to the interior, plus, of course, all of the instruments and radios. It flew again on November 28, 2001.

14

FEBRUARY 2002

t's a common story: Someone finds an airplane abandoned in a barn/field/ hangar. It's totally run-down with mice corroding the wings, the engine frozen into a solid lump, the fabric a c lose approximation of papyrus, and everything in the airplane needing re­ placement. So, the would-be restorer takes it apart, trucks it home, and starts the long process of disassembling, tagging, restoring, and re­ assembling.

But that's not the story of Wally Fisk's "Volunteer Seabee." The above story, where the restorer starts with an entire airplane and, in the process of disassembling it, figures out where every­ thing goes, is the exact opposite from what the Seabee crew started with.

They didn't start with a cor­ roded hulk covered with bird droppings; they started with mounds and mounds of boxes full of parts, not a one of which was identified. The Seabee, although partially re­ stored and painted, was totally disassembled and rep­ resented one of those jigsaw puzzles that come in a plain brown box with no picture to go by. They thought they had all the parts, but they weren't sure where the parts went. To make matters even worse, some of the parts had been overhauled and some hadn ' t been, but nothing told them which was which.

Like we said, a jigsaw puzzle with no picture to go by, and the nearest Seabee was many miles away.

According to Duane Poehls, one of the many volunteers VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

During EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2001, Seabee pilot Larry Mullaly stands between fellow restorers Ray Kreps and Duane Poehls

who banged away on the airplane, Wally Fisk originally bought the air­ plane for two reasons. First, it was to be a volunteer project on display dur­ ing its restoration at his Polar Aviation Museum in Blaine, Minnesota. Sec­ ond, a Seabee started his interest in aviation, so Wally has a nostalgic at­ tachment to the type. When the airplane was purchased in the mid '90s, it was in Rockford, Illinois. And already disassembled and painted.

Duane says, "It would have been easier if the airplane hadn't been painted, because we had to be really careful [of] what we did, or we ran the risk of damaging the paint.

16

FEBRUARY 2002

When we got the airplane, only a half a gallon of paint of each color came with it, so besides not know­ ing what went where, we were constantly worried about dinging something."

The Polar Aviation Museum closed its doors in 1999, but Fisk wanted the volunteers to keep ham­ mering away on the airplane.

"When the museum closed, the number of volunteers dropped, but those who remained were really faith­ ful to the project, and it became as much of a social event as anything else. We all became friends and en­ joyed the interaction," Duane says.

"When the airplane came to us," according to Duane, "the wings and control surfaces were in crates.

The engine was disassembled and in boxes. Another box held a bunch of actuators, but we didn't know what they were for. All the hy­ draulics parts were in another box.

Again, not tagged. We had a terrible time just figuring out which parts needed rebuilding.

"We had drawings for most of the airplane, but there was no exploded view giving us the big picture," Du­ ane says. "We made many, many trips up to Prior Lake to see Grant Leonard's Seabee. If it hadn't been for his airplane, we would have never gotten ours together, but we still had tons of questions. Most Seabees have been modified in a lot of different ar­ eas, but ours was mostly stock. So, even though we'd all take pictures of different parts of every Seabee we saw, they often didn't help much be­

The six-cylinder Franklin engine is coupled to a cooling fan in front and a crankshaft extension on the rear, which drives the prop . You can clearly see the Franklin 's distrib­ utor and coil ignition system. It' s mounted on the left side of the shaft extension case, just aft of the baffle.

The Franklin uses a mixed system, with one magneto fir­ ing one set of plugs and an automotive-style distributor for the other set.

cause they didn't match."

The water rudder was a classic case of not knowing what did what.

"We had no way of knowing how it attached . We e-mailed a lot of peo­ ple. We even made parts out of wood to try to figure out how it worked.

"The tail wheel steering was the same way. As far as we could tell, we had all the parts, but because they had this kind of Rube Goldberg way of working, we just couldn't figure it out. If we hadn't had another air­ plane to look at, we might still be trying to make it work."

The seats had already been uphol­ stered, but there were no side panels, so they came up with upholstery that wo uld match and had Airtex make up the panels.

The instruments that came with the airplane were a mixture of over­ hauled, old, really old, and useless.

The problem, however, was finding the right ones to build up the dis­ tinctive Seabee instrument group in the middle of the panel. Here they got really lucky. Jim Harker found a number of complete Seabee instru­ ment clusters and the panels in a warehouse and contributed one to the project. So, the airplane is eqUipped with 50-year-old stock gauges. When they tested them , everything but the frozen tachome­ ter passed muster.

Duane says, "The landin g gear

Cloth interiors are not usually the best choice for sea­ planes, so the Seabee was neatly upholstered in vinyl with a close-nap carpet used underfoot . A basic VFR in­ strument panel was re-instalied, along with expertly rendered lettering for each switch and placard . The new lettering included a placard for one unusual switch-on the lower left corner of the panel, there's an electrical switch labeled "Anchor Light."

turned out to be a real problem be­ cause most of it, including the axles, were badly corroded and had to be replaced or rebuilt. Fortunately, that was the only serious corrosion in the airframe because the airplane only had about 450 hours total time and had never seen sa ltwater."

If they thou ght the landing gear was a problem, then they must have thought gett ing the Franklin engine running was a borderline disaster because, among other things, some of the accessories were missing along with some of the internals. On top of that, many of the parts they did have couldn't be rebuilt, and they had to buy a second engine just to get enough usable parts to get one running. They had the basic engine overhau led by Bolduc Aviation in Minneapolis. Then it was found that the exha ust system was really screwed up. The exhaust studs were wrong, and they had to have the rusted parts of the exhaust system that needed replacing custom made using a Continental system as a pat­ tern. A full month was spent doing nothing more than removing and replacing the stud s and getting the custom-made parts to fit. It took three tries t o get them right. They knew little about the engine type when they started, but they became near experts through trial and error.

Still, they knew no matter what they

did, they could expect some prob­ lems, because one of their engine manuals had the notation that they should" ... expect major repairs shortly after 600 hours."

Once they got the engine prob­ lems solved, the project really kicked into high gear. According to Duane, "We could see the airplane was start­ ing to take shape, so we put the pedal to the metal. When we started work­ ing on the windows, we realized they weren't tagged either. They were grommet mounted, so they could be kicked out in [an] emergency, but we didn't know which grommet went with which window. It was just an­ other piece of the Seabee puzzle.

Towards the end, we were calling people, including those who had painted the airplane, and tracking down information like what type of wing extensions were on it and who had the pap erwork for them . Just two weeks before Oshkosh, I was up at Grant's and finally noticed that the little white piece we had left over went on top of the battery box. It was a frustrating process, but we made it all work."

The original crew who started the project while it was still at the Polar Aviation Museum included: Jerry Fenton-an ex-B-36 flight en­ gineer and Navy Seabee Dick Houck-control cables and carpet patterns VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

Slence anll his

By H.G.

The designers of the Seabee made extensive use of corrugated metal to add stiffness to the wings , tail , and in this case , the water rudder.

Greg Jones-landing gear struts Ray Kreps-an ex-F-86 pilot; did whatever was needed and was "Mr. Window Guy" Larry Mullaly-research and paperwork Duane Poehls-wiring and parts coordinator Frank Sokolik-" a little of everything" and head parts cleaner Alden Bjorkland-Plexiglas polisher When the volunteers came to the museum, the universal attitude among them was, "We don't want to be tour guides. We want to work on airplanes." The Seabee fulfilled th at desire. When the museum closed, Fenton, Kreps, Poehls, and Sokolik stayed on the project, and every Wednesday night became Seabee night for them.

"We wound up working 156 days on the project for a total of 1,002 man hours, as near as we can figure," says Duane.

In a long-standing Oshkosh tradition, they didn't get the airplane finished and ready to fly until just a few days before EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2001. This is a pervasive story among restorers; it makes you wonder whether airplanes would ever be finished if Oshkosh weren't sitting out there imposing a time limit. In the case of the Volunteer Seabee, they managed to get four hours on the airplane before heading over to the convention. liOn the first flight the generator was discharging like crazy," Duane recalls. liThe generator had been a headache anyway because when we continued 18

FEBRUARY 2002

011

page 20

FRAUTSCHY

n the year before the United States entered World War II, P.H. "Spence" Spencer lofted the lines on what he would call the Spencer Amphibian Air Car, Model S-12. By March I, 1941, Spencer and his two employees (one part-time, the other in the shop all day) cut the first parts for the two-place aerial boat. Only 5.5 months after construction began the Air Car first flew from the beach at Belmore, Great South Bay, on New York's Long Island.

With flat plywood for the fuselage and conventional wood spars and ribs for the wings, the Air Car was quite practical, albeit a bit unusual in appearance . Its pusher engine allowed for a handy door on the nose of the airplane. A pilot or passenger could settle into the right-hand seat, flip open the cabin hatch/door on the nose, and fish all day in comfort. When the pilot was done, the amphibian could be nosed up to the beach or floating dock. It was a simple matter of opening the door and stepping out to secure the machine. The rear-mounted prop was somewhat protected from the hull's water spray, and Spence enjoyed the rest of the summer operating the Air Car from the Babylon, Long Island, seaplane base. By the next spring, Spence's Air Car was in storage, like so many of its brethren grounded since the attack on Pearl Harbor. Spence was hard at work as a test pilot for Republic Aircraft, flying the P-43 and then the P-47. During 1943, he worked for the Mills Novelty Company in Chicago, lured by an offer from former Republic executive Nels Kelly. Mills was interested in obtaining military contract work, and as part of the deal to hire

I

Seabel'" Spence to help the company, he would have access to its woodmolding workshop during off hours. By that time some restrictions on civilian flying had been lifted, and Spence flew the Air Car to Chicago, where he made further changes to the airframe, streamlining some of the early version's rather slab-sided looks. He flew it regularly from Fox Lake, northwest of Chicago, where he tested the hull's hydrodynamic qualities.

By the close of '43, Mill's Novelty had not been very successful in getting more than one contract, and Spence was ready when Nels Kelly called again. Kelly had gone back to work for Republic, and upon hearing that the company was interested in a civilian project for work after the war ended, he made a pitch to senior management regarding the production of the Air Car. Spencer was hired as a design consultant, and Republic paid him $17,000 for the rights to the design.

Republic had plenty of experience in building airplanes out of sheet metal, and if the postwar market was as hungry for airplanes as was forecast, they'd need to produce them at a pretty good clip, possibly as many as 10 per day!

After Republic built and flew the prototype (the RC-l), a review of the program showed that the cost to produce the airplane was going to be excessive, and well in excess of the projected $3,995 price for the Thunderbolt Amphibian, as it was first named. Alfred Marchev, Republic's preSident, ordered a design review, which proved to be an illuminating exercise in production economy. Changing the wing from a tapered to a straight planform saved tooling money and time in

production, and extensive use of hydro-formed sections of aluminum for all of the major components kept the number of pieces in the airframe down to a minimum. As originally designed, the hull had 362 parts assembled with 6,200 rivets. It took 590 man-hours to build it.

After the design review, the number of parts tumbled to 63, with only 2,400 rivets needing to be driven in place, taking only 20 man-hours. The total number of parts in the airframe went from 1,800 down to a more manageable 450. The wing's new structure was also innovative, using beading stamped into the wing panel's surfaces to act as stiffeners for the structure, instead of laborious wing rib installations. After heated debate about the merits of such a structure, it proof tested to be four times stronger in torsional rigidity and held up to a proof load of 115 percent.

The RC-1 Seabee, as the design was now dubbed, was ready to show to the postwar public by the winter of 1945, and when the production RC-3s started coming off the line at Republic's Long Island factory, it was believed they had about 4,000 orders for the unique airplane . But those orders were made when the price was $3,995, and the book started shrinking as soon as the price started to increase.

Republic management had targeted a price that was far too low to meet, even if it did create a lot of buzz in the marketplace. When it became apparent there was no way that more than 4,000 of the airplanes would actually be built and delivered, the price had to go up to attempt to cover the cost of production, put by some at nearly $17,000 per unit!

During the redesign, the new airplane was also expanded to a four-place model, with the landing gear now simply rotated aft, instead of into a pair of wells set

Douglas Rolfe

into the sides of the hull. Eliminating the wells added enough room to the interior to make a four-seater practical.

Also needed was more horsepower. The Franklin engine first considered for the revamped design developed 200 hp, but more was needed, and to help control costs, Republic bought a controlling interest in Aircooled Motors, Syracuse, New York . Aircooled had been building the Franklin series for a number of airframe makers, and it managed to simplify the Franklin 500 engine and get a 12 hp boost in the process .

When finall y put into production, that horsepower had grown to 215 ponies, with the Franklin 6A8-215B9F as the standard installation. While the Koppers Aeromatic prop was standard equipment, the metal Hartzell controllable/reversible prop was a handy option.

Unfortunately, escalating prices, coupled with a sharp decline in demand and a deepening postwar economic recession, meant the production run of the Seabee was short-lived, with only 1,050 of the airplanes built before Republic shut down the line.

Spencer moved to Florida, where he dabbled in the construction and real estate business .

Later, after a move to California, he returned to aviation, and he

continued to develop his Air Car series as a homebuilt project until his death in 1995 at the age of 97.

Spencer's life was filled with a number of remarkable technical achievements, no doubt a legacy of his father, Christopher Minor Spencer. C.M. Spencer invented the Spencer repeating rifle, one of the Union Army's most effective weapons of the Civil War. Longevity must run in the Spencer family, as Spence was born long after the war, when his father was 63 years old. The elder Spencer lived long enough to see his son solo a Curtiss-type flying boat on the Connecticut River in the summer of 1914.

For information on the Seabee, visit www.mindspring.com/-jhooper3/seaclub.htm

That's the web address for John P. Hooper's Seabee web page, the home of the International Republic Seabee Owners Club. You can also write to them at: 6607 Rosemont Drive , Saginaw, MI 48603-6907. There's also a link to a biography of P.H. Spencer, one of aviation's most fascinating deSigners.

Air Car plans are still available for homebuilders. For more information on the Seabee's look-alike homebuilt sibling, you can contact Spencer Amphibian Air Car at: P.O. Box 327, Kansas, IL 61933; phone: 217-948-550, 847-8825678; fax: 847-882-0123.

VINTAGE AI RPLANE

19

The Seabee's distinctive lines come from the genius of Percival H. Spencer, whose basic design for an amphibious airplane made out of steel tube and wood was bought by Republic and then modified and produced after World War II. Spencer helped Republic design the airplane for all-metal construction on an assembly line, but its unique art deco lines re­ mained true to his original concept.

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FEBRUARY 2002

opened it up to work on it, there were no brushes in it. We found one brush in Grant's garage attic, so Bolduc [Aviation] took the one brush down to the parts store and pawed through a bunch of brushes until they found a pair that matched.

When we investigated the discharg­ ing problem, it turned out the generator was wired for 'normal' ro­ tation. The Franklin turns the other direction, so we swapped a few wires and were on our way."

With a cruise of 103 to lOS mph, the Seabee isn't a rocket ship, but with its pregnant pickle shape, you would­ n't expect it to be. "Fortunately," says Duane, "we aren't burning much oil and [are using] about 14 gallons of gas. However, the engine has a mag­ neto and a battery/distributor, which isn't shielded, so there's lots of igni­ tion noise in the radio.

"The airplane isn't really very good in a crosswind because of that huge tail," he says, "Which is aggra­ vated on takeoff by the way it levitates up on the struts at such a slow speed. I don't think it even has a demonstrated crosswind compo­ nent in the handbook."

So, now that the Seabee is fin­ ished and the volunteers have their Wednesday nights free, what are they going to do with their time?

Duane looks around at the rest of the volunteers and grins, "We started on a Strikemaster in November, but we have a leg up on this project. We not only have a full set of manuals, but there's a completed one sitting in the same hangar. By comparison, this one will be easy."

Easy? Obviously, after what this team of volunteers just went through, easy is a relative term. ........

PASS

IT TO

CK

BY E.E. "BUCK" HILBERT, EAA #21 VAA #5 P.O. Box 424, UNION, IL 60180

Reading about the adventures and experiences of Dutch Redfield and now Bill Dunn sure triggers your ex­ citement bones. They're wonderful!

I've had a few adventures as well, but I hesitate to relate them, know­ ing full well that some of them were pretty boneheaded and I was lucky to have survived to tell about them.

Before I spill the beans about this incident, here's a little background.

At 17, right out of high school, I en­ listed in the Army Air Corps at the beginning of World War II. I had fin­ ished a specialized course in aviation mechanics and enlisted to become an aviation cadet.

I had been working at the local airport for a couple years, had all kinds of "sandbag" and dual time, and had soloed in the J-3, Porter­ field, Aeronca Defender, and the Duster Stearman C-3. I was pretty hot; I'll tell you that.

After the stint in pre-flight school I was assigned to Primary Flying School at Wickenburg, Arizona. I was intro­ duced to PT-l7s, PT-13Ds, and PT-27s.

The -27 was a fully instrumented, electrically equipped version.

My instructor, Mr. Bingham, soloed me in short order, and I was free to practice what I was supposed to have learned. Unlike most of the students, who padded their time a little, I would fly for an hour and log forty-five minutes. I just loved to fly, and I guess it showed.

Toward the end of our six weeks at Echiverria Field 1 was one of about four or five cadets still flying off the required 65 hours. According to the book I had about 60-1 still had more to fly. I flew off the home field late in the afternoon one day, and since all the checkrides were over and I was just having fun, I decided to see how high a PT-17 would go.

I left the pattern and began to

climb. Finally, after an eternity, I got up to 13,500 feet indicated. In Janu­ ary, I can tell you, it was very cold up there. I was freezing and now only wanted to get back to that warm Arizona desert air.

I thought a while and then de­ cided a spin would be the best and quickest way down. After about six turns I pulled out, and I was still above 10,000, but it was a little warmer. Okay, what to do now? How about a few rolls on a point? So from about 15 miles away from the field, I put the nose on a point and began doing rolls, one after another, maybe about 10 or so.

Now that 220 Continental, as some of you well know, has a float­ type carburetor and would always quit when inverted. I had held in­ verted for a couple minutes during one of the rolls, and when I rolled right side up, the engine was just wind milling. Never giving it a sec­ ond thought, I just kept on rolling and rolling. I finally got down to about 2,000 or 3,000 feet off the ground, poked the power to it, and ... NOTHING! I pumped the throttle, I checked the fuel selector, I hit the primer ... it took a little, but not enough to keep me in the air.

By now I was about 1,500 feet above the ground, seven or eight miles away from base, with no radio (we didn't have them in those days), and maybe four or five miles from the highway, the only highway in the area. Fortunately, the desert in this area had sparse growth, so 1 picked a passable piece of desert and landed.

No problem. I might have scared a few horned toads, or maybe a rat­ tlesnake, but I was on the ground, and the airplane was all there. Plus, I was now nice and warm!

Now begins the saga. Here I am seven or eight miles from the field,

four or five miles off the highway, no one knows where I am, and it's get­ ting to the point where the sun is setting. Now, the book says in a situa­ tion like this you stay with the airplane and wait for rescue. But wait a minute; I think I know what's the matter with this engine. I'll bet the float is stuck. It ran on the primer, didn't it? Well that's got to be it! Find a rock; bang on the carburetor bowl.

Bang it good; this used to happen on the Duster Stearman. Now, let's try it.

Wind up the inertia starter and, "That was it! It runs!" It's now almost dark, so a quick run -up with a full power check and it's off for home.

When 1 land the proverbial stuff hits the fan. The A.O. (airdrome offi­ cer) is upset, as I am the last one to land and it's dark! "Where 'n 'ell have you been?" Thinking I was a hero, I explained, and explained again in front of the e.O., and again in front of the accident investiga­ tion board, and then again in front of the Cadet Evaluation Board!

Somehow, possibly because my instructor thought 1 might someday grow up, they let me off with a rep­ rimand. A couple days later I was even allowed to finish up my 65 hours and graduate.

The moral of the story is that this "Hot Shot" kid had his first en­ counter with military thinking, and they didn't appreciate "American in­ genuity" one bit. I still feel I did the right thing. I didn't want to spend the night in the desert, the airplane VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

I've told you about this project some­ time in the past, and after the dust settled over Sep­ tember 11, I got to fly Gary Karner's Aeroncopy. It was great fun, and it flies great with a Continental A-65.

Gary used my C-3 to take measure­ ments to make his copy of a C-3 as a homebuilt airplane. I've been selling some of my toys to make a bit of room around here at the Funny Farm, and my C-3, which I've had since the 1960s, was on the block. Gary bought it, so now he owns both.

As soon as the weather gets nice, and we get it running, it will move to the Brodhead, Wisconsin, airport. Isn't Gary's Aeroncopy cute?

got fixed and got home in fine shape, and I'm here to tell about it almost 60 years later.

I've had several forced landings since that time, and I've lucked out every time. It did teach me to always be aware of your options and always have a plan in mind in case the un­ mentionable happens.

Here's a recent note I received: Dear Mr. Hilbert, I would appreciate any informa­ tion you might have regarding any DH-4 aircraft that might be flying and/or in a museum.

I am 84 years old and grew up on a farm across the river from Peoria, Illi­ nois, over which DH-4 mail planes flew in the mid-1920s. I was, and am, an aviation buff but not a pilot or builder. In deference to my love of things flying, my dad would milk the cows early and take me to the Peoria airport west of Peoria, at Alta, illinois, 22

FEBRUARY

2002

to see the northbound mail planes come in. There were three pilots: Lindbergh, Slonnegar, and Smith. I had the great privilege of seeing and talking to all three.

The big thrill was in 1928 when Col. Lindbergh flew over his old air­ mail route in the Spirit of St. Louis, with Slooney and Smith in DH-4s in formation. They were about SOO feet high and flew over me in a berry patch where I was working. Lind­ bergh looked out his side window at me. Such a thrill!

American Airways came in on that route in Ford Tri-Motors about that time, and the DH-4s disap­ peared. I haven't seen one since.

I certainly like your column in the Vintage Airplane publication. With the publication and Poplar Grove Airport close by, I am well served.

Richard Pedrick Winnebago, Illinois VAA033163

Richard, It's a pleasure to hear from you, and I thank you for your kind re­ marks about Vintage Airplane.

When I was a trustee for the Wings & Wheels Museum in Florida, now defunct, we had an ex-Marine Corps DH-4 in almost-flying condi­ tion. When the museum broke up it was auctioned off and went to Brazil, I think.

It was one that had been modi­ fied to a steel tube fuselage and, of course, was not the mail plane model that was all wood. It also had armament and was a single place with a cargo pit up front. Not too authentic at that.

I'm sending you, on loan of course, the Smithsonian publica­ tion on the DH-4 history. In this book you'll find all sorts of infor­ mation on the original airplane and the many variants. Enjoy the book, and one of these days when you are finished with it, either drop it off at my son's house over in Rockford (address included), or if you are out for a drive, stop by here at the Funny Farm.

Reading about your childhood in Peoria is very interesting. I never got to actually meet Lindbergh , but I was just a kid when he flew over Rockford on his nationwide tour and dropped the message con­ tainer. I was only 4 years old, but I remember the crowd was going crazy yelling, "Lindy! Lindy!" and jumping up and down with excite­ ment. Quite a time. Lindbergh sure made a name for himself in later years as a conservationist, a med­ ical research scientist, and as a man to admire. I visited his grave in Hawaii and thanked him for what he did for aviation.

Looking forward to meeting you one day. If you decide to visit the Railroad Museum, we are just about a mile south. Who knows, I might even have an airplane flying, and we could take a ride.

Over to you, f(

Wally Baldwin of Middle­ town, Ohio, whose father spent many years at Aeronca during its aircraft production heyday, sent us this photo­ graph. Taken at Lunken airport (sometimes referred to as "sunken Lunken"J in Cincinnati, Ohio, it shows the airfield the year before the devastating flood of January 1937. The new administration building in the center was added on to the smaller termi­ nal just to its left. When the airport was flooded, only the top floor of the new building and the instruments on top of the small white weather in­ strument box were visible.

In the far upper left comer, the low building along the road is the first Aeronca factory. On the left side of the photo is the Metal Aircraft Company, builders of the Ramingo series of all-metal airplanes. The flood bankrupted the already fragile company, and Aeronca bought the building. Aeronca chose to move its operation to Middletown, Ohio, and the Metal Aircraft Company building was moved to Aeronca's new location after the floodwaters receded.

On the main ramp is a Stinson Trimotor and an American Airways Douglas DC-3, complete with the entry door on the right side of the cabin.

The administration building still stands, and it now has Dr. Kindall's Aeronca C-3 hanging in the west wing.

Explore

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a mesa. For winds 10 knots or less, you land uphill. Turning base, an­ 4,500-foot altitude. The valley other mesa "sticks up" a mile away.

No problems, just very different to was filled with quilt-patterned us "flatlanders./I We enjoyed tour­ vegetable fields crosshatched ing Sedona's many tourist with irrigation canals . We saw laborers tending some fields and boutiques, which sell Indian art­ Flight planning with a wall chart is always fun , other fields that had just been and it ' s also neat to figure out just how far work and wares. Then we drove reclaimed adjacent to the low your flight has taken you. Walt and Jim use the back up the mesa to view an ab­ solutely stunning sunset, followed hills west. time-honored string and scale method of dis­ by dinner and a restful sleep. tance calculation to figure out how far they On Tuesday we departed Se­ Coast to Coast had flown with their Cessna 140s. dona at 0725 local, refueled at Leaving the Imperial Valley we flew northwest above the Gallup, and then flew back to ABQ International. Wednesday Salinas Valley to west of Salinas Air­ The Convention and Return port at the valley's north end. jim, Thursday afternoon we left MRY morning '26V departed ABQ for the leading since Bakersfield, called at 1500 local with '676 leading. We A/C Chapter 3 Fly-In at Darlington, flew back down the Salinas Valley, South Carolina, arriving Friday Monterey Approach and requested and was granted a flyby over Mon­ followed Route 101 southeast, morning . Walt returned to Mary­ terey Bay then back across the crossed over the pass at Las Cruces, land on October 5. jim and Diane flew beside the mountains adjacent stayed in New Mexico, visiting Taos peninsula. Walt, never having flown over the Pacific Coast, was amazed to the ocean, and landed at Santa and taking in the Balloon Festival Barbara (SBA) for fuel. We left SBA on Saturday. '676 departed ABQ on at the ocean's clear, deep blue color.

After our aerial reconnaissance we at 1745 loca l and headed southeast Sunday, October 4, and returned to landed on MRY's 28L at 1505 local, along the coast with Point Mugu Cape May on October 10, having to taxied in, and tied down at Del Naval Air Station. Approach proVid­ follow a weather system across Okla­ ing flight following into the Los homa, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Monte Aviation. As a destination, Monterey was significant since it Angeles basin. The basin was hazy Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. jim and Diane received the was a duty station during jim's Navy with an overcast 1,000 feet above. career. He acquired his commercial We landed at Chino (CNO) just af­ Longest Distance Flown Award at and instrument ratings while here. ter dark, taxied in, and parked our the 1998 International Cessna NC89676 and its crew had com­ two transcontinental Cessna 140s 120/140 Association Convention. pleted the trek from the Atlantic to together at the base of the tower. They said: "The longest distance the Pacific Ocean, flying 2,930 The next two days we enjoyed the award was nice, but we are pleased statute miles in six days. N2026V International Cessna 120/140 Asso­ with the fact that we did it; we flew had traveled 2,920 miles, not quite ciation Convention, caught up with our Cessna 140s literally 'from sea to from sea to sea (albeit W18 is beside friends who had flown out at shining sea,' saw our beautiful coun­ the Patuxent River, which empties 30,000 feet, toured the several avia­ try, met some very nice people, and into the Chesapeake Bay, which tion museums at CNO, changed will remember this experience for '676's and '26V's oil, and relaxed the rest of our lives./I Walt received empties into the Atlantic). the Longest Distance Flown Award Our afternoon, evening, and fol­ before our return east.

'676 and '26V departed CNO to­ at the 1998 EAA Antique and Classic lowing day were spent enjoying Monterey and its Sights: dinner at a gether on Sunday, September 27. We Division (now Vintage Aircraft Asso­ ...... restaurant on the wharf, rescuing a flew north under an overcast, then ciation) Chapter 3 Fly-ln. seagull, gazing at deer grazing by the along Interstate 15 over Cajon Pass, lighthouse and at sea otters in the and back over the desert and its clear Acknowledgments Pacific, visiting the aquarium, and skies. At Barstow we followed the now Thanks to all the generous folks just touring the town and its shop­ familiar 1-40 eastbound and stayed along the way: the Normans at Parr ping boutiques. jim fed his ground overnight in Kingman. The next morn­ Airport (421); Hannan Dickerson, Co­ squirrel buddies peanuts at Point ing we left at a more leisurely 0915 lumbia, Missouri; the unidentified but Pinos-they likely were descendants local, flew east to Flagstaff, and then very helpful FBO employee at Neosho, of ones he had fed during his Navy south to Sedona (SEZ). We stopped Missouri; and the "big airport" FBOs tour. Our final stop was a gift shop here on a whim (thanks, Dorchen Fore­ who gave us red carpet service--TAC to purchase sea otter stuffed animals man). Landing here was most Air (AMA), Signature (ABQ) , and Del to display in our aircraft (an "East interesting-you descend down a Monte Aviation (MRY).

Coast bunch" tradition). canyon to land at the airport on top of

continlled from page 9

24

FEBRUARY

2002

NEW MEMBERS

Jeff Ottewell. ................. Richmond, BC, Canada

Jean Hickman ............... Stoneycreek, ON, Canada

Alan McLeod. . . . . . . . . .. Hudson Heights, po, Canada

Frederic Djakov................ L'Hay les Roses, France

Ian Rosewell .......... Little London, Hamps, Great Britain

John E. Stevens................... Staffs, Great Britain

Richard Wery .................. . ........ Juneau, AK

Ralph Doss ............................. Wynne, AR

Robert D. Hohanshelt .................. Scottsdale, AZ

David Molina ........................... Tucson, AZ

William N. Doushkess .................. Pasadena, CA

Rick Mohr .................. . ........ Placerville, CA

Donald P. Stevenson ..................... Denair, CA

Don Zabel ............................ Tujunga, CA

Ronald Padgett .......................... Tampa, FL

Frank J. Sierra ........................... Tampa, FL

Ronald Cox ........................ Poplar Grove, IL

Melvern K. Finzer. ..................... Naperville, IL

Jack Gladish ........................ Camp Point, IL

Paul David Stevens ................ . . Montgomery, IL

Clarke Tate ............................. Gridley, IL

Jerry L. Maxfield ..................... Hutchinson, KS

R. O. Lassalle ........................ New Iberia, LA

Donald Sands ......................... Lafayette, LA

Gary M. Banks ......................... Scituate, MA

Thomas W. Tinkler ........ . .......... Edgewater, MD

Corey G. Jacques .......................... Saco, ME

Warren S. Bolton .......................... Niles, MI

Peter Keillor, III ........................ Midland, MI

Daniel L. Mills ...................... Manchester, MI

Paul R. Nicholls ......................... Lowell, MI

Donald C. Berndt .................. Coon Rapids, MN

Robert E. Bush ....................... Maryville, MO

David Carpenter ..................... Granview, MO

John D. Groeneveld ............ Maryland Heights, MO

Kenneth W. Sevy .................. Harrisonville, MO

Thomas McMahon .................... Missoula, MT

Mitchell Hines........................ Charlotte, NC

Wayne C. Mathson .................. Jamestown, ND

Normand G. Bisson.................. Manchester, NH

Gregg W. Granville.................. New Boston, NH

Skip Bush ........................ Albuquerque, NM

Gerald Brown ............................ Reno, NV

Gilbert Schulenberg ..................... Buffalo, NY

Charles Shene .................. . ...... Potsdam, NY

Dan E. Baun ........................... Poland, OH

Harold F. Crites .................... Wilmington, OH

James Sumrow ....................... . Madison, OH

H. Dwight Hardy .. . ...................... Tulsa, OK

Bradley Hardy.... . ..... . .... . .. . . .. . . .... Tulsa, OK

Gordon E. Munch . . .................. Aumsville, OR

Eugene Chiappe ......... .. ........... Granbury, TX

Rodney L. Doss .... . ... . .... .. ... . .. .. ... Dallas, TX

Louie Hamilton........................ Houston, TX

John Ingham ... . ......... ... . . ...... Fort Worth, TX

Walter Lansing ... . ......... . ........ San Marcos, TX

Mike Plyer ................... . .... . . .. Sherman, TX

James W. Welch .. .. ..... . .... . . . ........ El Paso, TX

John A. Williams ......................... Dallas, TX

Kimbel H. Watson . .. .... . . . .. . .......... Ogden, UT

Thomas A. McKee ......... ... ..... . Spotsylvania, VA

Charles Schuck . .... . ................. . . Vienna, VA

Larry Toigo........ . ....... . .. .. . . .. . . Dale City, VA

Patrick Thompson ................... Enumclaw, WA

John Reidenbach ............. . ......... Kenosha, WI

Clif Harper. .. ... .... .. . . . . . ... . .. . Rock Springs, WY

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The following list ofcoming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of information only and does not constitute approval, sponsor­ ship, involvement, control or direction of any event (fly- in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. Please send the information to EAA, A tt: Vin­ tage Airplane, PO. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Information shollid be received four months prior to the event date.

FEBRUARY 10-Mondovi, WI-Ski-Fly-ln a t Log Cabin Ai rpo rt. Info: 715-287-4205.

FE BRUARY 23-Fort Pierce, FL-EAA Ch. 908 Pancake Breakfast, 7-11 a. m . at the EAA Hangar, St. Lucie International Airport. Info: 561-464-0538 or 561-489-0420.

FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 2 - Bozeman, MT-Mo ntana Av iati on Confe rence, Ho liday & Gran Tree Inns. Workshops, se mina rs, nationally recognized speakers, trade show. Info: phone: 406-444-2506, fax: 406-444- 2506, e-ma il : dalke@state. mt.lls.

MARCH 1-3-Casa Grande, AZ-the Arizon a An tique Aircraft Assoc is spo n soring the 44th Ann ua l Cac tus Fly-[n, 480-987­ 55 16.

MARCH 23-Fort Pierce, FL-EAA Ch . 908 Pancake Breakfast, 7-11 a.m., EAA Hanga r, St. Lucie Interna ti onal Airport. Info: 561-464-0538 o r 561-489-0420.

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APRIL 20-Furt Pierce, FL-EAA C h. 908 Pancake Breakfast, 7­ 11 a.m., EAA Hangar, St. Lucie Inte rnational Airport . Info: 561-464-0538 or 561-489-0420.

MAY 3-S-Cleveland, OH-18th Ann ual Symposium of th e Society of Ai r Racing Historians. Sessions fea turing talks by pilots, crew members and others at the Holiday Inn-Ai rport.

In fo: Herman Schaub, 440-234-2301 o r Don Berliner, 703­ 548-0405.

MAY 4-S- Woodland, CA-8 th Annual Great Valley Fly-In, Watts-Woodland Airport (041). Jud g ing of a ntiqu es, classics, and h omeb uilts. Pa n cake breakfasts, food ve ndors, raffle, Young Eagles program. Info: 530-662-9631 or www.woodlan­ daviatioll .com.

MAY 4 -S- Daytoll, OH-C h . 48 Annua l Funday Su nday Regional Fly-In at Moraine Ai rPa rk (1-73). Ca mping, awards, d isplays. Info: 937-859-8967 o r www.MoraineA irpark.com.

MAY S-Rockford, IL- EAA Ch. 22 Fly-In/Drive-In Breakfast, Greater Rfd. Airport, Courtesy Ai rcraft Hangar. Info: 815­ 397-4995 .

MAY 11- TUlIghkenamon, PA-EAA Ch apter 240 Open House & Hangar/Cl ubh ouse Dedication. 28 th Annual Fly-In/Drive-In season at New Garden Airport (N57), with pancake brea kfast.

Young Eagles flights. Ad missi on free . Info: 2 15-761-319l.

MAY 17-19-Colllmbia, CA-Gathering of Luscombes 2002, 26 t h ann ual event. Aircraft judging, spo t landing, flour bombing competitions, and more. Info: 559/888-2 745; 619/482-8236, or www.luscombe-c1a.org.

MAY 18-Fort Pierce, FL-EAA C h . 908 Pancake Breakfast, 7-11 a.m., EAA Hangar, St. Lucie Internationa l Ai rport. Info: 561­ 464-0538.

MAY 19- Troy, OH-VAA Chapter 36 1st Annual Fly-[n Barbeq ue at Waco Field. In fo: 937-447-41 45.

MAY 19-Romeoville, /L-EAA Ch . 15 Fly-In Breakfast at Lewis Romeoville Airport (LOT). Info: 630-243-8213.

MAY 24-2S-Atchison, KS-36 th Annua l Kansas C ity Area Fly­ In , Ame lia Earhart Memorial Airport (K59). Info: 816-238­ 2161 or 816-363-6351, or jsullens@kc. rr.com.

MAY 31-JUNE I-Bartlesville, OK- 16 th An nual National Biplane Co nvention and Exposit ion a t Frank Phillips Field.

Forums, static displays, seminars, exh ibits. All types of ai r­ craft a nd airp lane lovers are invited. Biplane crews and NBA m e mbers admitted free. Info: 9 18-622-8400 o r 9 18-336-3976 JUNE 7-9-Ga inesville, TX-Texas Ch. Vintage Airc raft Association hosting its 39 th Ann ual Fly- In. Ga in esvi ll e Municipal Ai rport (GLE) Info: 817-429-5385; 817-468-15 7l.

J UNE 23-Niles, MI-EAA Ch . 865 Annua l Fly-[n/ Breakfast a t Jerry Tyler Municipal Airport (3TR), 7 till noon. Info: 219­ 271-8533.

J ULY 6-Rcnsselaer, IN-EAA Chapter 828 Fly-[n at Jasper County Airport. Ham & bean lun ch. Info: 2 19-866-5587.

JULY 13- TOllghkenamon, PA-EAA C h ap ter 240, 28 th Annual Fly- In/Drive- In Pancake Breakfas t 8:00 a.m. at New Garden Airport (N57). Young Eag les' Ra ll y. Ad mi ssio n free. Info: 215-761-3191

EAA FLY·IN SCHEDULE 2002 SUNI NFUN EAA FlY·IN

VIRGINIA STATE EAA FlY·IN

www.slm-n- flln.org April 7·13, Lakeland, FL

September 7·8, Dinwiddie County Airport

EAA ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL

EAA EAST COAST FlY·IN

www.greeieynet.com/eaaregiOllai June 29·30, Longmont, CO

September 13·15, Toughkenamon, PA

NORTHWEST EAA FlY·IN

EAA SOUTHWEST REGIONAL FlY·IN

www.nweaa.org July 1()'14, Arlington, WA

September 27·28, Abilene,TX

www.vaeaa.org

www.eastcoastflyill.org

www.swrfi·com

EAA AlRVENTURE OSHKOSH

EAA SOUTHEAST REGIONAL FlY·IN

www.airventure.org July 23-29, Oshkosh, WI

www.geocities.com/-serfi October 4·6, Evergreen, AL

EAA GOlDEN WEST REGIONAL FlY·IN

COPP£RSTATE EAA FlY·IN

www.gwfly-in.org September 6-8, Yuba County Airport (MRV)

October 10·13, Phoenix, AZ

EAA MID-EASTERN flY-IN 419·447·1773 (telefax) September 6·8, Marion, OH

www.copperstate.org

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Classified Word Ads : $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with bold­ face lead-in on first line.

Classified Display Ads: One column wide (Z.167 inches) by I , 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts.

Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (Le., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any·advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one inser­ tion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must ac­ company order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (clas­ sads@eaa.org) using credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include name on card, complete address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address adver­ tising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings, main bearings, bushings, master rods, valves, piston rings Call us Toll Free 1/800/233-6934, e-mail ramremfg@ao/.com Web site www.ra­ mengine.com VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS , N. 604 FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202.

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www. airp!anetshirls.com 1-800-645-7739 THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT ON THE WEB!! www.aviation-giftshoo.com A Web Site With The Pilot In Mind (and those who love airplanes) For sale, reluctantly: Warner 145 & 165 engines. 1 each, new OH and low time. No tire kickers, please.

Two Curtiss Reed props to go with above engines.

1966 Helton Lark 95, Serial #8. Very rare, PQ-8 certified Target Drone derivative. Tri-gear Culver Cadet. See Juptner's Vol. 8-170. Total time A&E 845 hrs. I just have too many toys and I'm not get­ ting any younger. Find my name in the Officers & Directors listing of Vintage and e-mail or call evenings. E. E. "Buck" Hilbert Wanted : Kinner #610 taper shaft prop hub.

Russ, 610-372-7333.

"'The useof Dotron or similar modern moleria~ os asubsUMe for coHon is 0 dead giveaway 10 Ihe knowing eye. They simply do nallook righl on vinlage aircrah,· from Robert Mikesh, former curalor ollhe Nolionol Air and Spo," Museum, in his book Restoring Museum Aircraft.

Antiques, Warbirds, General Aviation 304-466-1724 Fax 304-466-0802 www.aircraftexh austsys.com

Pure cotton machine and hand sewing thread

Vintage Aero fabrics, ltd. 18 Journey's End, Mendon, VI 05701 lei: 802-773-0686 fox: 802-786-2129 websile: www.avtiolh.lom ·Original Nieupart 28 restored by Vintage Avianan Services·

ew

Wedell-W illiams Air Service Authors: Robert Hirsch & Barbara Schultz

A timeless investment that even Wall Street should envy.

Award Winning Vintage Interiors Paul Workman

OHIO AI RCRA FT INTERIORS

Parr Airport (421)

Zanesville, Ohio 43701

800.794.6560

A history of air racing at its best!

170 photos, 19 detailed drawings.

$19.95 plus $3.95 shipping.

Order from : Little Buttes Publishing Co.

PO Box 2043

Lancaster, CA 93539

OR online:

www.planemercantile.com

want to see your plane or pearls of wisdom in print?

Write an article for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

We're always looking for technical articles and photos of your latest restoration. We can't offer you money, but we can make you a hero among fellow Vintage Aircraft enthusiasts!

Send your submissions to:

Editor, Vintage Airplane

P.O. Box 3086

Oshkosh, WI 54904

e-mail: vintage@eaa.org For pOinters on format and content feel free to call 920-426-4825 VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

VAA NEWS CONTINUED prices range from $19.95 to $22.95, plus shipping and handling. Call EAA at 800-843-3612 (outside the United States and Canada call 920­ 426-4800).

Workshop Schedule Feb 8-10. 2002

Griffin. GA

April 20-21. 2002

TIGWELDING

SHEET METAL COMPOSITE CONSTRUCT FABRIC COVERING

Oshkosh. WI RVASSEMBLY

April 27-28. 2002

ADVANCED TIG WELDING RVASSEMBLY

Corona.CA

Pittsburgh. PA SHEET METAL COMPOSITE CONSTRUCT FABRIC COVERING GAS WELDING

Griffin. GA

RVASSEMBLY

Watsonville. CA

May 3-5. 2002

Griffin. GA TIGWELDING RVASSEMBLY

Dallas. TX TEST FLYING YOUR PROJECT

May 31-June2. 2002 Griffin. GA ADVANCED TIG WELDING

Dallas. TX

June 7-9. 2002

SHEET METAL COMPOSITE CONSTRUCT ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS & AVIONICS FABRIC COVERING GAS WELDING

Corona. CA RV ASSEMBLY

June 21-23 2002

Griffin. GA TIG WELDING

June 21-23. 2002

Frederick. MD RV ASSEMBLY

Visit www.sportair.com for a complete listing of workshops.

S poRrA1R WORKSHOPS -

28

-.iZ)-­

FEBRUARY 2002

1-800-WORKSHOP 1-800-967-5746 sportair@eaa.org

The Aviator's Apprentice is the first part of a very enjoyable fiction tril­ ogy skillfully written by Chris Davey. Davey neatly weaves histori­ cal figures into the life story of his fictional protagonist, Will Turner.

Starting in the early years of avia­ tion 's pioneer era, The Aviator's Apprentice eventually propels Will into the maelstrom of the European conflict that defined the beginning of the last century. It's very well done and an enjoyable to read story, and while not intended for younger readers, Davey's storytelling is com­ pelling reading. He does an exceptional job in creating a group of believable and interesting charac­ ters to support the storyline.

The second part of the trilogy, Turner's Flight, was published this past year, and th e third, Defense of the Realm, will be published this year.

For more information on Turner's Flight Logs, visit www.turner/ogs.com.

Published by Lucky Press, it's avail­ able at many bookstores and by calling 800-345-6665. ........

Membership Services Director~

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

OFFICERS President

Vice-President

Espie W Butch" Joyce

George Daubner 2448 Lough Lane Hartford, WI 53027 262/673·5885 vaaflyboy@aol.com

P.O. Box 35584 Greensboro, NC 27425 336/668·3650 windsock@aol.com

Treasurer Charles W. Harris

Secretary

Steve Nesse 2009 Highland Ave. Albert Lea, MN 56007 507/373-1674

7215 East 46th 5t.

Tulsa, OK 74147 918/622·8400

cwh@hv5u.com

DIRECTORS David Bennett P.O. Box 1188 Roseville, CA 95678 916/645-6926

antiquer@inreach.com

Jeannie Hill

P.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 60033

815/943-7205

dinghao@owc.net Steve Krog

ll

Robert C. "8ob Brauer 9345 S. HOJne

Chi~~~?7~~21~~20

1002 Heather Ln. Hartford, WI 53027 262/966-7627

sskrog@aol.com

photopilot@aol.com

John Berendt

7645 Echo Point Rd.

Cannon Falls, MN 55009

507/263-2414

Robert D. "Bob" Lumley

1265 South 124th St.

Brookfield, WI 53005

262/782·2633

fchld@roonnect.com

lumper@execpc.com

John S. Copeland

Gene Morris

5936 Steve Court

Roanoke, TX 76262

817/491-9110

n03capt@nash.net

1A Deacon Street

North'S"08/3~~:Nt5 01532 copeland l@juno.com

Dean Richardson Phil Coulson

1429 Klngs Jj;nn Rd

28~~~;'i';J~~f~fr

Stou!J'it;;i7.8~~ls89

616/624·6490

dar@apriiaire.com

rcoulsonS 16@cs.com Geoff Robison

Roger Gomoll

3i~~e~t~r~~~~~~tl 507/288-2810

rgomoll@hotmail.com OaJe A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr.

India3tm~~_~~3t6278

1521 E. MacGregor Dr.

Ne\\' Haven, IN 46774

219/493-4724

chlef7025@aoi.com S.H. "Wes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414/771·1545

shschmid@gdinet.com

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Gene Chase

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

2159 Carlton Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54904 920/231-5002

P.O. Box 424 Union, IL 60180 815/923-4591

buck7ac@mc.net

ADVISORS Alan Shackleton P.O. Box 656

Sugar Grove, IL 60554-0656

630/466-4193

103346.1772@<:ompuserve.com

Steve Bender 815 Airport Road Roanoke, TX 76262 817/491-4700

sstiOO@email.msn.com

Dave Clark 635 Vestal Lane Plainfield, IN 46168 317/839·4500 davecpd@iquest.net

Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site: http://www.eaa.org and http://www.aiYllenture.org E-Mail: vintage

EM and Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 , , . . ... ..... FAX 920-426-6761 Monday-Friday CST) (8:00 AM - 7:00 PM

• New/renew memberships: EAA, Divisions (Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbirds), National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)

• Address changes • Merchandise sales • Gift memberships

Programs and Activities EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory , , , , ............. , . , , , , . , , 732-885-6711 Auto Fuel STCs .. , , , , , , , , , .. . 920-426-4843 Build/ restore information ", . . 920-426-4821 Chapters: locating/organizing .. 920-426-4876 Education .... .. , , , , , , , . , , .. 920-426-6815

• EAA Air Academy • EAA Scholarships

@

eaa.org

Flight Advisors information .. .. 920-426-6522 Flight Instructor information. , . 920-426-6801 Flying Start Program ......... , 920-426-6847 Library Services/Research .... .. 920-426-4848 Medical Questions , ... ...... .. 920-426-4821 Technical Counselors ... • ... .. 920-426-4821 Young Eagles. , , , . , ... . . .. .. . 920-426-4831 Benefits AVA .. " " " " " ' ......... 800-727-3823 AVEMCO "", . , ... . . .. .... 800-638-8440 Term Life and Accidental .. .... 800-241-6103 Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company) Editorial Submitting article/ photo; advertising informa­ tion 920-426-4825 . . . , , , , , . , , , FAX 920-426-4828 EAA Aviation Foundation Artifact Donations ... ...... . , 920-426-4877 Financial Support .... , , .. , .. 800-236-1025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associ­ ation, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of SPORT AV1A1ION. Family membership is available for an additional $10 annually. Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually.

All major credi t cards accepted for membership.

(A dd $16 for Foreign Postage,)

AVIATION magaZine not included) . (Add $10

for Foreign Postage.)

WARBIRDS

Current EAA members may join the EAA War­ birds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $35 per year.

EAA Members hi p, WARBIRDS magazine and one year membership in the Warbirds Divi­ VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION sion is available for $45 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 for Curren t EAA members may join the Vintage Foreign Postage.)

Aircraft Associa ton and receive VINTAGE AIR­ PLANE magazine for an additional $36 per year.

EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE EAA EXPERIMENTER magaZine and one year membership in the EAA Current EAA members may receive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 EXPERIMENTER magaZine for an additional per yea r (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­ $20 per year. cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage,) EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER magaZine is available for $30 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $8 for lAC Foreign Postage.)

Curren t EAA members may join the Interna­ tional Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive . FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an addi­ Please submit yo ur remitta nce with a check or tional $40 per year. draft drawn on a United States bank payable in EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS United States dollars. Ad d required Foreign magazine and one yea r membership in the lAC Division is available for $50 per year (SPORT Postage amount for each membership.

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.

Copyright ©2002 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association All rights reserved.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) IPM 1482602 is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Associalion of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Avialion Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and al additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EM Vintage Aircraft Association, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via sur­ face mail. ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.

EDITORIAL POLICY: Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contribulor. No renumeration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920/426-4800.

EAA~ and SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo~ and Aeronautica llol are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the EXperimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

The EM AVIATION FOUNDATION Logo is a trademark of the EM Aviation Foundation, Inc. The use of this trademark without the pennission of the EM Aviation Foundation, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

INTAGE

ME a. Fleece Youth Vests .......

$ 12.95

These soft neece vests are avai lable in royal blue. grey. and green.

gr cy Sill V I 05 15 grcy md V005 16 grcy Ig Vl0517 grcy xl Vl05 18

bluc Sill V00587 bluc Ig VI 0509 bluc xl Vl 05 10 grcen Sill VI 05 11 g.'cell xl \' 10514

b. Zippered Sweatshit't. . ... 59.95 50% cottonJ50% poly and machine wash颅 able. this top has an elegant outline around the Vintage logo with genuine Aust.rian crysta ls. Comes in navy 01' forrest gl'een. n3\l llld VI 0489 113\') xl V I0491

na\'1' Ig V 10490 green md Vl0492

c. Leather \'al'sity Jacket... $229.95 Leather and woo l are comb ined 10 create this classic jacket with embossed vintage airplanes and Vintage logo on lhe back.

IIId V00344 Ig \100345

xl

\100346

d. 'I'ra\'e l Mug ..... \100342

$ 12.95

Classic stain less steel mug with plasUc handle and cap. Standal'(l base filS most cal' cup holders . ~1ug . . ... \100234 $4.95 Enjoy your morning corree with lh is blue Irimmed Vintage logo mug.

e. Coffee

f. Youth Flight Jackel. . . .. $:J8.95 This classic jacket is sized for young people. Made or nylon wilh knit collar. curl's. and waist. SPOl'tS an OI'ange liner.

Yo uth sizes: Sill \10060 5

IIId \100606

Ig \100607

TELEPHONE ORDERS

800-843-3612 FROM US AND CANADA ALL OTH ERS CAL L

920路426路591 2

MAIL ORDERS P.o . Box 3086 OSHKOSH , WI 54903-3086

ORDER ONLINE

WWW.EAA.ORG

AND

g. Crew Sweater ..••..•.. ~ This daJ'k navy kn it sweater has cotton patches at the shoulder and elbows and sports the Vintage logo.

S~ sm \100516 xl \110525 ~ ~.E: md \110523 x.lI \100517

..

49.911

Ig \110524

Leather Baas from

Vintaae Alr~raft

An embossed logo graces each of these finely crarted . genu ine leather bags. which come in either tan or black.

h. Leather "ou~h ........... $21.95

tan V00584 bla~k V00513 Flapped. soft leather bag has shoulder strap. Approx imate size: 7.5"h x 5"w x l.5"d

i. Leather

Brlef~a8e

tan V00497

........ $79.95

bla~k V00510

Crafted with a rich design. this case has seve ral intel'ior pockets and goes from home to the boardroom in style. Approxi­ mately 12"h x 16"w x 4.5"d

j. Lealher Backpack ...•.... $49.95 tan \100498 black V0051 1 Perfectly sized wilh convenient zippered pockets on the inside and outside. Approx­ imately: 11"h x g'\v x 4.5"d

k. Leather "o~ket Bag (black only) .......... \100512

$46.95

Convenient phone/sunglass pocket make this bag a definite accessory.

Approximate size: 9"h x 6"w x 3"d

I. Adult Burgundy Flee~e Vest ....................... $ 14.95 Similar to the youth neece vest. this adult version is a welcomed layer during cold winter activities.

Sill

\100586

Ig \I 10506 xl V10507

IIId V10505

m. Youth Camo Shirt ....... $19.95

Sport shirL features four buttoned pock­ ets and Vintage Logo. Made of 65% poly/35% cotton and is machine washable. Youth sizes:

V00609 Ig V00611

SOl

Old

V00610

xl V00612

TELEPHONE ORDERS

800-843-3612 FROM US AND CANADA ALL OTHERS CALL

920-426-5912

MAIL ORDERS ORDER ONLINE

WWW.EAA.OR

P.O . Box 3086 OSHKOSH , WI 54903-3086

Raymond Miller Taylors, SC ATP CFII ME USAF Pilot, 1955-1975 Corporate and Airline Pilot, 1976-1996 Flying for 48 years First solo flight in 1954 Ray Miller, pilot/owner of "Red,_White and Blue" - a 1946 GC-I B Swift Custom Classic Award winner

AUAis

~

"AUA was my first choice for insurance coverage a year ago, and I have just

renewed at a discounted price. For immediate coverage; a comprehensive policy; for efficient and personable

To become a member of the

service - AUA is hard to beat."

- Raymond Miller

lower liability and hull premiums Medical payments included Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No hand-propping exclusion No age penalty No component parts endorsements

Vintage Aircraft

Discounts for claim-free renewals carrying all risk coverages

Association call

800-843-3612

AUA's Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Assoc.

Insurance Program

The best is affordable.

Give AUA a call - it's FREE!

Remember,

We're Better Togetherl

800-727-3823

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AVIATION UNUM/no AGENCY